"If you ask me what you missed in class my response will be 'a good time.'"

Week one:  It finally arrived.  Weird to think back in October I was nice and cozy in my job as an office manager until I hung up the phone one Friday afternoon semi-unemployed.  I never saw it coming.  After a minor freakout and a weekend of thinking about what this meant, I decided to go to culinary school.  It was always one of those things that I thought would be pretty great, but would never actually happen.  My partial unemployment became a blessing in disguise.  I made a few appointments at local colleges, took tours, did my research and started the application process for the Art Institute of Philadelphia's culinary arts program.  Since I have a Bachelor's degree I was automatically accepted and would begin class on January 11th... just about a week ago.

Week one came and went. Up this quarter: Culinary skills I, Safety and Sanitation, and Use and Applications of Equipment. We went over the syllabi, checked out our knife kits, and got to work. I learned bâtonnet, brunoise (my personal favorite), julienne and the dices amongst others.  I assigned myself some homework of practicing the different cuts so I would be prepared for the following class. I also learned that I would look ridiculous if I wore my hat this way to class.

The hardest part so far is sleep... or lack thereof.  Besides the part time office manager gig, I also do a similar job at a law firm.  I switch on and off days between the two and attend school from 6-10. My awesome friends/roommates welcomed me home one night with a packed lunch, a really nice card and 4-pack of much needed Monster.  I'm pretty sure it will get easier once I am used to it.

Week two is coming to an end.  What's to follow: hollandaise sauce, how my sanitation class is freaking me out, a parking fiasco and my first attempt at making stock.